as i am getting ready for our upcoming house boating trip for the student ministries at CCV, i am looking at Jonah for one of the nights that i am speaking. Jonah is not the average Bible story. it sort of ends on a sour note.
if you read Jonah 3 (click here if you want to read it), Jonah finally goes to Nineveh to do what God has instructed him to do, which is to preach against the people there because God said he would basically destroy them because of their evil ways. but.... when you read Jonah 4 (click here if you want to read) we see that the people change their ways and God, as He does everyday for us, shows compassion on them and does not destroy them like He threatened before. JONAH IS LIVID! he was there to preach to them that God was going to bring justice on them because of their ways, his preaching worked, and they changed their ways and instead of being joyous because they will now be saved, he is angry at God for not destroying them. God calls him out. He says, "Do you have any right to be angry?" Jonah then goes and pouts in the corner. (little off topic, but some of my good friends have an amazing song song about Nineveh. The Dandelions. click here to check them out. honestly amazing.)
the thing that i see from this is how many times do we say we are "praying" for our enemies, for the people that we have a hard time with, the people who are doing "bad" in this world, and saying you want God to have COMPASSION for them when really you want God just to smite them with lightning bolts and thunder so that they will be brought to justice?
Yes our God is all powerful, and He is a just God. but He is also forgiving.
the question i have to ask is: when you are praying...are you really praying for compassion for others? or are you really praying for God for justice for your own personal preference?
its an honest question
random fact: The only basketball coach to have a losing record at the University of Kansas is Dr. James Naismith, the INVENTOR OF BASKETBALL.
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